Methods and systems for delivering lte-u communications via satellite distribution system

ABSTRACT

Systems, devices, and methods are described for wireless communication. In one example a first wireless signal is received in a first radio frequency spectrum using a first antenna exterior to a building. The first wireless signal is associated with a first wireless protocol. The first wireless signal is converted into a first intermediate signal associated with a coaxial protocol. The first intermediate signal is transmitted to an interior of the building using a coaxial cable. The first intermediate signal is converted into a second signal associated with a second wireless protocol. The second signal is then transmitted in a second radio frequency spectrum using a second antenna interior to the building. The second signal is transmitted using the second wireless protocol.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 15/668,536, entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FORDELIVERING LTE-U COMMUNICATIONS VIA SATELLITE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM”,filed Aug. 3, 2017, now allowed, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/371,685, entitled “METHODS AND SYSTEMSFOR DELIVERING LTE-U COMMUNICATIONS VIA SATELLITE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM,”filed on Aug. 5, 2016, both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

A wireless wide area network (WWAN), is a form of wireless network thatis capable of covering a large area. A WWAN may utilize mobiletelecommunication cellular network technologies such as LTE, WiMAX,UMTS, CDMA2000, GSM, or other long-range protocols to transfer data.These technologies are provided by a wireless service provider.Depending on the protocol, frequencies, and physical properties of anarea, the WWAN may not cover the area uniformly. For example, the WWANmay not be accessible from within certain buildings.

A wireless local area network (WLAN) is a wireless computer network thatlinks two or more devices using a wireless distribution method within alimited area, such as a building. The WLANs may utilize the 802.11family of protocols, also known as WiFi. Devices that are capable ofcommunicating over a WLAN may not be capable of communicating over aWWAN, and vice versa.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and apparatus forwireless communication. In one implementation, a method for wirelesscommunication includes receiving a first wireless signal in a firstradio frequency spectrum using a first antenna exterior to a building,the first wireless signal being associated with a first wirelessprotocol; converting the first wireless signal into a first intermediatesignal associated with a coaxial protocol; transmitting the firstintermediate signal to an interior of the building using a coaxialcable; converting the first intermediate signal into a second signalassociated with a second wireless protocol; and transmitting the secondsignal in a second radio frequency spectrum using a second antennainterior to the building, the second signal being transmitted using thesecond wireless protocol.

In some examples, the method further includes receiving a third wirelesssignal in the second radio frequency spectrum using the second antenna,the third wireless signal being associated with the second wirelessprotocol; converting the third wireless signal into a secondintermediate signal associated with the coaxial protocol; transmittingthe second intermediate signal to the exterior of the building using thecoaxial cable; converting the second intermediate signal into a fourthsignal associated with the first wireless protocol; and transmitting thefourth signal in the first radio frequency spectrum using the firstantenna, the fourth signal being transmitted using the first wirelessprotocol.

In some examples, the coaxial protocol is a Multimedia over CoaxAlliance (MoCA) protocol. In some examples, the method further includescombining the first intermediate signal with a received satellitesignal; and transmitting the combined first intermediate signal andreceived satellite signal to the interior of the building using thecoaxial cable. In some examples, the method further includes combiningthe second intermediate signal with control/command communications andelectrical power; and transmitting the combined second intermediatesignal, control/command communications, and electrical power to theexterior of the building using the coaxial cable.

In some examples, the first wireless protocol corresponds to a wirelesswide area network (WWAN) protocol and the second wireless protocolcorresponds to a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol. In someexamples, the first radio frequency spectrum and the second radiofrequency spectrum include one or more non-contiguous frequency bands.In some examples, the first radio frequency spectrum includes one ormore frequency bands that overlap with one or more frequency bands ofthe second radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, one or more ofthe first wireless signal and the second wireless signal carry voiceover IP (VoIP) data.

In one implementation, a wireless communication system includes a firstantenna exterior to a building to receive a first wireless signal in afirst radio frequency spectrum, the first wireless signal beingassociated with a first wireless protocol; an access device to convertthe first wireless signal into a first intermediate signal and transmitthe first intermediate signal to an interior of the building using acoaxial cable, the first intermediate signal being associated with acoaxial protocol; a conversion device interior to the building toconvert the first intermediate signal into a second signal associatedwith a second wireless protocol; and a second antenna interior to thebuilding to transmit the second signal in a second radio frequencyspectrum using the second wireless protocol.

In some examples, the second antenna receives a third wireless signal inthe second radio frequency spectrum, the third wireless signal beingassociated with the second wireless protocol; the conversion deviceconverts the third wireless signal into a second intermediate signalassociated with the coaxial protocol and transmits the secondintermediate signal to the access device using the coaxial cable; theaccess device converts the second intermediate signal into a fourthsignal associated with the first wireless protocol; and the firstantenna transmits the fourth signal in the first radio frequencyspectrum, the fourth signal being transmitted using the first wirelessprotocol.

In some examples, the coaxial protocol is a Multimedia over CoaxAlliance (MoCA) protocol. In some examples, the access device combinesthe first intermediate signal with a received satellite signal andtransmits the combined first intermediate signal and received satellitesignal to the interior of the building using the coaxial cable. In someexamples, the conversion device combines the second intermediate signalwith control/command communications and electrical power; and transmitsthe combined second intermediate signal, control/command communications,and electrical power to the access device using the coaxial cable.

In some examples, the first wireless protocol corresponds to a wirelesswide area network (WWAN) protocol and the second wireless protocolcorresponds to a wireless local area network (WLAN) protocol. In someexamples, the first radio frequency spectrum and the second radiofrequency spectrum include one or more non-contiguous frequency bands.In some examples, the first radio frequency spectrum includes one ormore frequency bands that overlap with one or more frequency bands ofthe second unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, one ormore of the first wireless signal and the second wireless signal carryvoice over IP (VoIP) data.

In some examples, the system further includes a signal receptionplatform comprising the first antenna, the access device, a satelliteantenna, and a mounting device. In some examples, the conversion deviceis integrally comprised within at least one of a receiving device and adisplay device.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing summary and the followingdetailed description are for purposes of example and explanation and donot necessarily limit the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings,which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification,illustrate subject matter of the disclosure. Together, the descriptionsand the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a communication system, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a communication system,according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates yet another embodiment of a communication system,according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an access device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a conversion device, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a method for converting wirelesssignals, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures associated with receiving, processing,and outputting signals have not been shown or described in detail toavoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprises” and “comprising,” are to be construed in an open, inclusivesense that is as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a communication system 100,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. A wirelessservice provider 102 provides wireless access to a data network. Thewireless service provider 102 may provide wireless access using one ormore protocols, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A),Unlicensed LTE (LTE-U), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HighSpeed Packet Access (HSPA+), Worldwide Interoperability for MicrowaveAccess (WiMAX), License Assisted Access (LAA), or other 3GPP compliantstandards.

A conversion device 112 communicates with the wireless service provider102 by transmitting/receiving wireless wide area network (WWAN) signals108. The WWAN signals 108 may be in a licensed radio frequency spectrumand/or an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, theWWAN signals 108 may utilize multiple, non-contiguous frequency bands oflicensed and/or unlicensed radio frequency spectrum.

The conversion device 112 includes an exterior antenna 106 forcommunicating with the wireless service provider 102. The exteriorantenna 106 may be an antenna array comprising multiple antennas. Theexterior antenna 106, or a portion of the exterior antenna 106, may beexterior of a building 110 to improve communication with the wirelessservice provider 102.

The conversion device 112 receives WWAN signals 108 from the wirelessservice provider 102, and converts them to wireless local area network(WLAN) signals 120 for transmission in the interior of the building 110.The WLAN signals 120 may conform to one or more of the 802.11 family ofprotocols, and may utilize unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. In someexamples, the frequency bands of the WLAN signals 120 may overlap withone or more frequency bands utilized by the WWAN signals 108. The WLANsignals 120 may also utilize non-contiguous frequency bands of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum. The conversion device 112 transmitsthe WLAN signals 120 to a wireless device 116 using an interior antenna114. The wireless device 116 receives the WLAN signals using deviceantenna 118. The interior antenna 114 and/or device antenna 118 may bean antenna array comprising multiple antennas.

The conversion device 112 also receives WLAN signals 120 from thewireless device 116. The conversion device 112 converts the WLAN signals120 to WWAN signals 108 for communication with the wireless serviceprovider 102. This allows a wireless device 116 inside of the building110 to access the data network of the wireless service provider 102 incases where the wireless device 116 does not support the protocol of theWWAN signals 108 and/or in cases where the WWAN signals 108 do noteffectively penetrate the building 110. In some examples, the WWANsignals 108 and WLAN signals 120 may carry voice over IP (VoIP) data,and may allow a user in the interior of the building 110 to communicateusing the wireless service provider's data network.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a communication system 200,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. A wirelessservice provider 202 provides wireless access to a data network. Thewireless service provider 202 may provide wireless access using one ormore protocols, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-U, HSPA, HSPA+, WiMAX, LAA, orother 3GPP compliant standards.

An access device 204 communicates with the wireless service provider 202by transmitting/receiving WWAN signals 208. The WWAN signals 208 may bein a licensed radio frequency spectrum and/or an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum. In some examples, the WWAN signals 208 may utilizemultiple, non-contiguous frequency bands of unlicensed and/or licensedradio frequency spectrum.

The access device 204 includes an exterior antenna 206 for communicatingwith the wireless service provider 202. The exterior antenna 206 may bean antenna array comprising multiple antennas. The access device 204 andexterior antenna 206 may be exterior of a building 210 to improvecommunication with the wireless service provider 202.

The access device 204 receives WWAN signals 208 from the wirelessservice provider 208, and routes them to the interior of the building210 using a physical interface 222, such as coaxial cable or Ethernetcable. The access device 204 may reformat the WWAN signals 208 intointermediate signals that are transmittable over the physical interface222. For example, the access device 204 may reformat the WWAN signals208 into MoCA signals for transmission over a coaxial cable into theinterior of the building 210.

A conversion device 212 receives the intermediate signals from thephysical interface 222. The conversion device 212 converts theintermediate signals from the physical interface 222 to WLAN signals 220for transmission in the interior of the building 210. The WLAN signals220 may conform to the 802.11 family of protocols, and may utilizeunlicensed radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, the frequencybands of the WLAN signals 220 may overlap with one or more frequencybands utilized by the WWAN signals 208. The WLAN signals 220 may alsoutilize non-contiguous frequency bands of the unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum. The conversion device 212 transmits the WLAN signals 220 to awireless device 216 using an interior antenna 214. The wireless device216 receives the WLAN signals using device antenna 218. The interiorantenna 214 and/or device antenna 218 may be an antenna array comprisingmultiple antennas.

The conversion device 212 also receives WLAN signals 220 from thewireless device 216. The conversion device 212 may reformat the WLANsignals 220 into intermediate signals that are transmittable over thephysical interface 222. For example, the conversion device 212 mayreformat the WLAN signals 220 into MoCA signals for transmission over acoaxial cable to the exterior of the building 210. In some examples, theconversion device 212 may also transmit command/control communicationsand/or electrical power over the physical interface 222 to the accessdevice 204. The conversion device 212 may combine the command/controlcommunications and/or electrical power with the intermediate signals.

The access device 204 then reformats the intermediate signals from thephysical interface 222 into WWAN signals 208 for communication with thewireless service provider 202. This allows a wireless device 216 insideof the building 210 to access the data network of the wireless serviceprovider 202 in cases where the wireless device 216 does not support theprotocol of the WWAN signals 208 and/or in cases where the WWAN signals208 do not effectively penetrate the building 210. In some examples, theWWAN signals 208 and WLAN signals 220 may carry VoIP data, and may allowa user in the interior of the building 110 to communicate using thewireless service provider's data network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a communication system 300,according to various aspects of the present disclosure. A wirelessservice provider 302 provides wireless access to a data network. Thewireless service provider 302 may provide wireless access using one ormore protocols, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-U, HSPA, HSPA+, WiMAX, LAA, orother 3GPP compliant standards.

An access device 304 communicates with the wireless service provider 302by transmitting/receiving WWAN signals 308. The WWAN signals 308 may bein a licensed radio frequency spectrum and/or an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum. In some examples, the WWAN signals 308 may utilizemultiple, non-contiguous frequency bands of unlicensed and/or licensedradio frequency spectrum.

The access device 304 includes an exterior antenna 306 for communicatingwith the wireless service provider 302. The exterior antenna 306 may bean antenna array comprising multiple antennas. The access device 304 andexterior antenna 306 may be exterior of a building 310 to improvecommunication with the wireless service provider 302.

The access device 304 receives WWAN signals 308 from the wirelessservice provider 308. The access device 304 reformats the WWAN signals308 into intermediate signals for transmission over a coaxial physicalinterface 322. In some examples, the intermediate signals are MoCAsignals. The intermediate signals are received by a splitter/combiner336. The splitter/combiner 336 combines the intermediate signals fromthe access device 304 with signals from a satellite antenna 332. Thesatellite antenna 332 may receive satellite signals 334 from one or moresatellites 330. The satellite antenna 332 may include one or morelow-noise frequency block downconverter with integrated feedhorns(LNBFs) which downconvert the satellite signals 334 for transmissionover the coaxial physical interface 322. The splitter/combiner 336combines the downconverted satellite signals and the intermediatesignals and transmits the combined signals over a single coaxialphysical interface 322 into the interior of the building 310. In someembodiments, the splitter/combiner 336 may be a component of the accessdevice 304.

A secondary splitter/combiner 338 receives the single coaxial physicalinterface 322 in the interior of the building 310. The secondarysplitter/combiner 338 transmits the combined signals to a receivingdevice 340 and to a conversion device 312. The receiving device 340 maybe a set-top box, digital video recorder (DVR), television, or otherdevice for receiving and rendering satellite signals. The receivingdevice 340 may include one or more filters for filtering out theintermediate signals, and the conversion device 312 may include one ormore filters for filtering out the downconverted satellite signals.Alternatively, in some embodiments, the secondary splitter/combiner 338may filter the combined signals and transmit the intermediate signals tothe conversion device 312 and the downconverted satellite signals to thereceiving device 340. In some embodiments, the conversion device 312 andreceiving device 340 may be combined into a single device. In someembodiments, the wireless device 316 may be a display device, such as aWi-Fi enabled television. In some embodiments, the conversion device 312may be integrated within a display device, such as a television. Inaddition, in some embodiments, the secondary splitter/combiner 338 maybe a component of the conversion device 312 and/or receiving device 340.

The conversion device 312 converts the intermediate signals into WLANsignals 320 for transmission in the interior of the building 310. TheWLAN signals 320 may conform to the 802.11 family of protocols, and mayutilize unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. In some examples, thefrequency bands of the WLAN signals 320 may overlap with one or morefrequency bands utilized by the WWAN signals 308. The WLAN signals 320may also utilize non-contiguous frequency bands of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum. The conversion device 312 transmits the WLAN signals320 to a wireless device 316 using an interior antenna 314. The wirelessdevice 316 receives the WLAN signals using device antenna 318. Theinterior antenna 314 and/or device antenna 318 may be an antenna arraycomprising multiple antennas.

The conversion device 312 also receives WLAN signals 320 from thewireless device 316. The conversion device 312 may reformat the WLANsignals 320 into intermediate signals for transmission to the secondarysplitter/combiner 338. In some examples, the intermediate signals areMoCA signals. In some examples, the secondary splitter/combiner 338 mayalso transmit command/control communications and/or electrical powerover the physical interface 322 to the access device 304 and/orsatellite antenna 332. The secondary splitter/combiner 338 may combinethe command/control communications and/or electrical power with theintermediate signals, and the combined signal may be routed to theexterior of the building 310 over the single coaxial physical interface322. In some examples, the command/control communications may betransmitted by the receiving device 340 to communicate with thesatellite antenna 332, such as for selecting a satellite feed.

The exterior splitter/combiner 336 routes the intermediate signals fromthe physical interface 322 to the access device 304. The access device304 then reformats intermediate signals into WWAN signals 308 forcommunication with the wireless service provider 302. This allows awireless device 316 inside of the building 310 to access the datanetwork of the wireless service provider 302 in cases where the wirelessdevice 316 does not support the protocol of the WWAN signals 308 and/orin cases where the WWAN signals 308 do not effectively penetrate thebuilding 310. In some examples, the WWAN signals 308 and WLAN signals320 may carry VoIP data, and may allow a user in the interior of thebuilding 110 to communicate using the wireless service provider's datanetwork.

In some embodiments, the splitter/combiner 336 and/or the secondarysplitter/combiner 338 prioritizes one signal over another. For example,the intermediate signals from the access device 304 can be given ahigher priority of transmission than signals from satellite antenna 332,or vice versa, when transmitting signals from the splitter/combiner 336and/or the splitter combiner 338. Similarly, a signal from satelliteantenna 332 can also include one or more data streams which can beprioritized according to a first set of criteria. In some embodiments,an intermediate signal can also include one or more data streams and/orcontrol data. Data streams in the intermediate signal may be prioritizedbased on a second set of criteria. For example, criteria forprioritizing data streams may comprise data received from a contentprovider, video distributor, wireless service provider 302, and/orhardware manufacturer. As another example, the criteria for prioritizingdata streams may be associated with control data, including transmittedor embedded instructions, that prioritize delivery of data streamspursuant to detection of events or conditions, including but not limitedto, network conditions, local transmission and reception conditions,signal degradation, congestion, latency, transmission errors, andquality of service (QoS). Thus, each of the signals can have separateprioritization of their constituent data streams. That is, the first setof criteria may differ from the second set of criteria. Thesplitter/combiner 336 and/or the secondary splitter/combiner 338 cananalyze the first set of criteria and the second set of criteria in theconstituent data streams to determine an overall priority, an averagedpriority, a temporal priority, or other prioritization schema based uponcombining, analyzing, or processing the intermediate signals from theaccess device 304 and the signals from satellite antenna 332. Aprioritization, for example, is that VoIP data is given higher prioritythan low-latency data. Another prioritization, for example, is that arequest for a high resolution video can be given higher priority thanconfiguration data transmitted to the receiving device 340 (e.g., a TVor a set-top box).

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of an access device 404, according tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. The access device 404 may bean example of one or more of the access devices 104, 204, 304 describedin reference to FIGS. 1-3. The access device 404 may be located in theexterior of a building. In some examples, the access device 404 may bemounted to or may be a component of a signal reception platform. Thesignal reception platform may include a satellite antenna and a mountingdevice for mounting the satellite antenna to the building. The accessdevice 404 may include a weatherproof, UV resistant housing forprotecting the various circuitry and components of the access device404.

The access device 404 includes an antenna 406 for receiving WWAN signalsfrom a wireless service provider. The antenna 406 also transmits WWANsignals to the wireless service provider. The WWAN signals may be in alicensed radio frequency spectrum and/or an unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum and may use one or more wireless protocols including LTE,LTE-A, LTE-U, HSPA, HSPA+, WiMAX, LAA, or other 3GPP compliantstandards. The antenna 406 may be an antenna array comprising multipleantennas.

The access device 404 may include radio frequency (RF) power amplifier(PA) circuitry, low noise amplifier (LNA) circuitry, and filtercircuitry 410. The RF PA/LNA/Filter circuitry 410 may condition signalsfor transmission by the antenna 406 and may condition WWAN signalsreceived by the antenna 406.

The access device 404 may further include RF physical layer (PHY)circuitry 412. The RF PHY circuitry 412 may include transceivers and/orsignal processors capable of processing signals for transmission by theRF PA/LNA/Filter circuitry 410. The RF PHY circuitry 412 may be furthercapable of processing signals received from the RF PA/LNA/Filtercircuitry 410.

In some embodiments, the access device 404 may include multiple sets ofRF PA/LNA/Filter circuitry 410 and RF PHY circuitry 412. Each set ofcircuitry 410, 412 may correspond to an antenna in an antenna array andcorresponding frequency band(s).

The access device 404 may further include a modem 414. The modem 414 maybe capable of processing the signals from the RF PHY circuitry 412 inaccordance with one or more of the wireless protocols used by the WWANsignals received by the antenna 406. For example, the modem 414 may be aLTE modem capable of processing LTE signals.

Physical interface circuitry 416 reformats signals from the modem 414into intermediate signals for transmission over a physical interface422, such as coaxial cable or Ethernet cable. In some examples, thephysical interface circuitry 416 reformats the signals from the modem414 into MoCA signals. The physical interface 422 may then route theintermediate signals into the interior of the building.

The physical interface circuitry 416 also receives intermediate signalsfrom the interior of the building. The physical interface circuitry 416may then reformat the received intermediate signals into signals thatmay be processed by the modem 414, RF PHY circuitry 412, and RFPA/LNA/Filter circuitry 410 for transmission over the antenna 406 to thewireless service provider.

Power regulation circuitry 418 regulates power received by the accessdevice 404 and distributes the regulated power to the various circuitryand components of the access device 404. In some embodiments, the accessdevice 404 may receive power from the physical interface 416. Forexample, electrical power may be provided over a coaxial cable orEthernet cable plugged into the physical interface circuitry 416. Theelectrical power may be provided by a receiving device or conversiondevice in the interior of the building and connected to the accessdevice 404 over the physical interface 422.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a conversion device 512, accordingto various aspects of the present disclosure. The conversion device 512may be an example of one or more of the conversion devices 112, 212, 312described in reference to FIGS. 1-3. The conversion device 512 may belocated in the interior of a building. In some examples, the conversiondevice 512 may be a component of a receiving device for receivingsatellite television signals.

The conversion device 512 includes an antenna 514 fortransmitting/receiving WLAN signals. The WLAN signals are transmittedand received in accordance with one or more of the 802.11 family ofprotocols. The antenna 514 may be an antenna array comprising multipleantennas.

The conversion device 512 may include 802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530. The802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530 may condition signals for transmission bythe antenna 514 in accordance with one or more of the 802.11 family ofprotocols. The 802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530 may also condition WLANsignals received by the antenna 514 in accordance with one or more ofthe 802.11 family of protocols.

The conversion device 512 may further include 802.11 radio circuitry532. The 802.11 radio circuitry 532 may include transceivers and/orsignal processors capable of processing signals for transmission by the802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530. The 802.11 radio circuitry 532 may befurther capable of processing signals received from the 802.11 PA/LNAcircuitry 530.

In some embodiments, the conversion device 512 may include multiple setsof 802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530 and 802.11 radio circuitry 532. Each setof circuitry 530, 532 may correspond to an antenna in an antenna array514. In some examples, different antennas of the antenna array 514 mayoperate at different frequencies, such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Each set ofcircuitry 530, 532 may be configured to operate at one or more of thedifferent frequencies.

A network processor 534 may provide the conversion device 512 withrouting, switching, firewalls, and other networking capabilities. Forexample, the network processor 534 may route data to one or more devicesconnected wirelessly to the conversion device 512. The network processor534 may also route data to one or more devices connected to networkports 536 of the conversion device 512. The network ports 536 may be,for example, Ethernet ports.

Physical interface circuitry 516 reformats signals from networkprocessor 534 into intermediate signals for transmission over a physicalinterface 522, such as coaxial cable or Ethernet cable. In someexamples, the physical interface circuitry 516 reformats the signalsfrom the network processor 534 into MoCA signals. The physical interface522 may then route the intermediate signals to the exterior of thebuilding for transmission by an access device.

The physical interface circuitry 516 also receives intermediate signalsfrom the exterior of the building. The physical interface circuitry 516may then reformat the received intermediate signals into signals thatmay be processed by the network processor 534, 802.11 radio circuitry532, and 802.11 PA/LNA circuitry 530 for transmission over the antenna514 to one or more wireless devices.

Power regulation circuitry 518 regulates power received by theconversion device 512 and distributes the regulated power to the variouscircuitry and components of the conversion device 512. In someembodiments, the conversion device 512 may provide power over thephysical interface 522 to an exterior access device. For example,phantom power may be provided over a coaxial cable or Ethernet cableplugged into the physical interface circuitry 516.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a method 600 for converting wirelesssignals, according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Themethod 600 may utilize one or more of the access devices and/orconversion devices described in reference to FIGS. 1-5.

At 602, the method 600 includes receiving a first wireless signal in afirst radio frequency spectrum using a first antenna exterior to abuilding, the first wireless signal being associated with a firstwireless protocol. The first wireless protocol may correspond to awireless wide area network (WWAN) protocol.

At 604, the method 600 includes converting the first wireless signalinto a first intermediate signal associated with a coaxial protocol. Thecoaxial protocol may be a Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) protocol.

At 606, the method 600 includes transmitting the first intermediatesignal to an interior of the building using a coaxial cable.

At 608, the method 600 includes converting the first intermediate signalinto a second signal associated with a second wireless protocol. Thesecond wireless protocol may correspond to a wireless local area network(WLAN) protocol.

At 610, the method 600 includes transmitting the second signal in asecond radio frequency spectrum using a second antenna interior to thebuilding, the second signal being transmitted using the second wirelessprotocol. One or more of the first wireless signal and the secondwireless signal may carry voice over IP (VoIP) data.

The method 600 may include additional acts, omit some acts, and/or mayperform the acts in a different order than set out in the FIG. 6.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, schematics,and examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, schematics, and examplescontain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that many functions and/or operations withinsuch block diagrams (e.g., the functions of the access device orconversion device), flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof and that designing thecircuitry and/or writing the code for the software and/or firmware wouldbe well within the skill of one of ordinary skill in the art in light ofthe teachings of this disclosure. For example, the functions of theaccess device could be implemented in discrete logic with no centralprocessing unit (CPU) or software involvement.

When logic is implemented as software and stored in memory, logic orinformation can be stored on any non-transitory computer-readable mediumfor use by or in connection with any processor-related system or method.In the context of this disclosure, a memory is a nontransitory computer-or processor-readable storage medium that is an electronic, magnetic,optical, or other physical device or means that non-transitorilycontains or stores a computer and/or processor program. Logic and/or theinformation can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use byor in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, orother system that can fetch the instructions from the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructionsassociated with logic and/or information.

In the context of this specification, a “computer-readable medium” canbe any physical element that can store the program associated with logicand/or information for use by or in connection with the instructionexecution system (e.g., the network processor 534), apparatus, and/ordevice. The computer-readable medium can be, for example, but is notlimited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared,or semiconductor system, apparatus or device. More specific examples (anon-exhaustive list) of the computer readable medium would include thefollowing: a portable computer diskette (magnetic, compact flash card,secure digital, or the like), a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM,or Flash memory), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), anddigital tape.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ systems, circuits and concepts of the variouspatents, applications and publications to provide yet furtherembodiments.

The above description of illustrated embodiments, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specificembodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes,various equivalent modifications can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure, as will be recognized by thoseskilled in the relevant art.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a first wirelesssignal in a first radio frequency spectrum using a first antennaexterior to a building, the first wireless signal being associated witha first wireless protocol; converting the first wireless signal into anintermediate signal associated with an intermediate protocol prior totransmission of the intermediate signal to an interior of the building;combining the intermediate signal with a downconverted satellite signalto generate a combined intermediate signal prior to transmission of thecombined intermediate signal to the interior of the building;transmitting the combined intermediate signal to the interior of thebuilding using a wired transmission medium; filtering the intermediatesignal and the downconverted satellite signal from the combinedintermediate signal; converting the filtered intermediate signal into asecond wireless signal associated with a second wireless protocol; andtransmitting A) the filtered downconverted satellite signal to a firstwireless device for display and B) the second wireless signal to asecond wireless device in a second radio frequency spectrum using asecond antenna interior to the building.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: determining priorities of a first data stream in theintermediate signal and a second data stream in the second wirelesssignal, and determining whether to include the first data stream and thesecond data stream in the combined intermediate signal based on thepriorities.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: filtering thecombined intermediate signal to retrieve the downconverted satellitesignal; and transmitting the downconverted satellite signal to areceiving device interior of the building, the receiving deviceconsuming the downconverted satellite signal.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: filtering the combined intermediate signal toretrieve the intermediate signal, and transmitting the intermediatesignal to a conversion device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theintermediate signal is a first intermediate signal, the method furthercomprises: converting a third wireless signal into a second intermediatesignal associated with a coaxial protocol; and transmitting the secondintermediate signal to the exterior of the building using a coaxialcable.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: combining thesecond intermediate signal with control communications and electricalpower; and transmitting the combined second intermediate signal, thecontrol communications, and the electrical power to the exterior of thebuilding using the wired transmission medium.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein transmitting the intermediate signal over the wired transmissionmedium includes transmitting the intermediate signal over a coaxialcable.
 8. A computing system comprising: one or more processors; and oneor more memories storing instructions that, when executed by the one ormore processor, cause the computing system to perform a processcomprising: receiving a first wireless signal in a first radio frequencyspectrum using a first antenna exterior to a building, the firstwireless signal being associated with a first wireless protocol;converting the first wireless signal into an intermediate signalassociated with an intermediate protocol prior to transmission of theintermediate signal to an interior of the building; combining theintermediate signal with a downconverted satellite signal to generate acombined intermediate signal prior to transmission of the combinedintermediate signal to the interior of the building; transmitting thecombined intermediate signal to the interior of the building using awired transmission medium; filtering the intermediate signal and thedownconverted satellite signal from the combined intermediate signal;converting the filtered intermediate signal into a second wirelesssignal associated with a second wireless protocol; and transmitting A)the filtered downconverted satellite signal to a first wireless devicefor display and B) the second wireless signal to a second wirelessdevice in a second radio frequency spectrum using a second antennainterior to the building.
 9. The computing system of claim 8, whereinthe process further comprises: determining priorities of a first datastream in the intermediate signal and a second data stream in the secondwireless signal, and determining whether to include the first datastream and the second data stream in the combined intermediate signalbased on the priorities.
 10. The computing system of claim 8, whereinthe process further comprises: filtering the combined intermediatesignal to retrieve the downconverted satellite signal; and transmittingthe downconverted satellite signal to a receiving device interior of thebuilding, the receiving device consuming the downconverted satellitesignal.
 11. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the process furthercomprises: filtering the combined intermediate signal to retrieve theintermediate signal, and transmitting the intermediate signal to aconversion device.
 12. The computing system of claim 8, wherein theintermediate signal is a first intermediate signal, the process furthercomprises: converting a third wireless signal into a second intermediatesignal associated with a coaxial protocol; and transmitting the secondintermediate signal to the exterior of the building using a coaxialcable.
 13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the process furthercomprises: combining the second intermediate signal with controlcommunications and electrical power; and transmitting the combinedsecond intermediate signal, the control communications, and theelectrical power to the exterior of the building using the wiredtransmission medium.
 14. The computing system of claim 8, whereintransmitting the intermediate signal over the wired transmission mediumincludes transmitting the intermediate signal over a coaxial cable. 15.A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including a set ofinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes theone or more processors to perform operations comprising: receiving afirst wireless signal in a first radio frequency spectrum using a firstantenna exterior to a building, the first wireless signal beingassociated with a first wireless protocol; converting the first wirelesssignal into an intermediate signal associated with an intermediateprotocol prior to transmission of the intermediate signal to an interiorof the building; combining the intermediate signal with a downconvertedsatellite signal to generate a combined intermediate signal prior totransmission of the combined intermediate signal to the interior of thebuilding; transmitting the combined intermediate signal to the interiorof the building using a wired transmission medium; filtering theintermediate signal and the downconverted satellite signal from thecombined intermediate signal; converting the filtered intermediatesignal into a second wireless signal associated with a second wirelessprotocol; and transmitting A) the filtered downconverted satellitesignal to a first wireless device for display and B) the second wirelesssignal to a second wireless device in a second radio frequency spectrumusing a second antenna interior to the building.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method furthercomprises: determining priorities of a first data stream in theintermediate signal and a second data stream in the second wirelesssignal, and determining whether to include the first data stream and thesecond data stream in the combined intermediate signal based on thepriorities.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 15, wherein the method further comprises: filtering the combinedintermediate signal to retrieve the downconverted satellite signal; andtransmitting the downconverted satellite signal to a receiving deviceinterior of the building, the receiving device consuming thedownconverted satellite signal.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:filtering the combined intermediate signal to retrieve the intermediatesignal, and transmitting the intermediate signal to a conversion device.19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15,wherein the intermediate signal is a first intermediate signal, themethod further comprises: converting a third wireless signal into asecond intermediate signal associated with a coaxial protocol; andtransmitting the second intermediate signal to the exterior of thebuilding using a coaxial cable.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises:determining priorities of a first data stream in the intermediate signaland a second data stream in the second wireless signal, and determiningwhether to include the first data stream and the second data stream inthe combined intermediate signal based on the priorities.